


Seven Tricks Or Higher!

by morphogenesis



Series: Eight & Ten Rule [1]
Category: Zero Escape (Video Games)
Genre: Anal Fingering, Companion Piece, Facials, Frottage, M/M, Open Relationships, Oral Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-20
Updated: 2019-03-24
Packaged: 2019-05-09 13:02:13
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14716559
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/morphogenesis/pseuds/morphogenesis
Summary: While Akane is out of the country on official business, Aoi and Junpei are climbing up the walls. They try to kill time with sex, card games, musing on other histories, and ruining a perfectly good karaoke night. (Note: Aoi would like to apologize to Courtney Love for that last one.)Part 1 of 2 in a series. Companion fic to “No Nines, No Blinds."





	1. tv with no lights on, we’re dans la maison

**Author's Note:**

  * For [epithalamium](https://archiveofourown.org/users/epithalamium/gifts).



> Happy Birthday, D! This is late as hell but it’s also an incredibly silly bros!Aoipei PWP feat. polyamory. Thanks for all the silly Discord jokes and shipping. 
> 
> This is a side story to my unposted Phi/Akane WIP, hence the mentions of their Iceland Adventure. **This contains explicit sex, so minors turn back now.** Chapter titles from the eternal “One Week” by Barenaked Ladies. Aoi’s singing “Godfather Love Theme” by Ozaki Kiyohiko and “Celebrity Skin” by Hole.

"Don't you have anything you need to do?" Junpei asks as Aoi yawns in his ear for the second time. Standing behind the couch Junpei’s sitting on, Aoi leans over Junpei’s shoulders until his chin brushes the crown of Junpei’s head. "Akane is fine, you're the one who's about to have an aneurysm." 

Akane has been in Iceland for two days, but Aoi is acting like she’s been exiled to the South Pole. Tonight during Junpei’s check-in with her, Aoi's breathes down his neck as if his sister will be killed by an _afturganga_ if he takes his eyes off the laptop. Right now she’s getting ready for bed, humming to herself as she brushes her hair while using her webcam as a mirror. Junpei turns his mic back on. “Tell your brother to chill.”

Her laugh is fond and tired. “Hi there. Are you bored?”

Aoi braces himself on Junpei’s shoulders and leans forward until Junpei tenses under his weight, mutters, and brushes him off. “Junpei’s boring. How is it going over there?”

“Just fine, the conference is really interesting...” and she proceeds to recount at a granular level what she saw and did that day, what she ate, and what she learned at the conference (with a long tangent about advances in embryonic cloning). Junpei embraces the schadenfreude as every time Aoi tries to cut her off she keeps going, stronger at every interruption. She chuckles when she runs out of things to say. “...So are you going to let Junpei do his job now?”

Aoi sighs, defeated. “Sure, whatever.”

“Why don’t you call me in the morning?” Her words are weighted by her and Junpei’s shared knowledge that Aoi’s presence has cancelled their overdue date for webcam mutual masturbation. If Junpei could file a complaint to HR on behalf of his dick, he would. “Junpei, I’m going offline,” she says. 

“Goodnight,” he says softly like they’re the only two people around.

This isn’t good enough for Aoi. “Who’s watching you tonight? Are the windows and door secure—”

“Phi is with me in…” Akane holds up two fingers. “Two whole minutes.” She puts a finger to her cheek and smiles at them. “I’ll be fine, just sleepy. Goodnight.” She shuts her laptop as a final dismissal. 

Aoi grumbles. Junpei debates putting his head through the laptop, but settles for twisting around, grabbing Aoi’s upper arms, and dragging him over the back of the couch so he lands with his face in Junpei’s lap. Aoi digs a fist into Junpei’s ribs and they roughhouse until they roll off and fall to the floor, landing on top of each other. Aoi straddles him and presses his forearm to Junpei’s throat just hard enough to keep him pinned. “What the hell was that for?”

“You just said you were bored,” Junpei says before shoving his hands inside Aoi’s shirt to tickle him and make him bark in embarrassing, uncontrollable laughter. It’s not fitting revenge.

 

**

 

Over lunch, Aoi (still parked in Junpei’s office) won’t stop fussing. "How well do you know Phi really?"

Between bites of sandwich, Junpei tabs between windows for each hidden camera in Akane’s hotel room, seeing Akane's sleeping form, the door to her hotel room, the windows, and Phi sitting at her bedside and reading a comic book. "You put her in a game to decide the fate of humanity. I don't see how she can't handle this." She proved herself during the Decision Game. She's astute, she's pragmatic, and she doesn't blink in the face of danger.

She just wants his fiancée. Despite her supposed poker face, she’s never been good at hiding the way she avoids eye contact with Akane but looks her over when she thinks no one is watching. True to form, Akane’s taken advantage of that once or twice to get Phi to go on late-night snack runs or clean her office, but she also blushes when Junpei teases her that he feels like she’s looking to replace him.

This isn’t the reason he hesitated to send Phi along as part of Akane’s security detail, but that whole incident is something Akane says to put behind him and trust Phi as one of his detectives. As if he plans on letting her go because of a mistake. The kind of people who come and stay in Crash Keys are difficult to replace. One can pay off thugs and wave goodbye, but it’s much harder to get rid of a sister in arms. 

Especially if she’ll kick a shotgun-wielding man in the face. Aoi still doesn’t believe Junpei when he says that really happened.

Once he’s finished eating, Junpei gets up, stretches, and tilts his head at Aoi. “I thought I gave you my Vita to leave me alone.” (Aoi wound up sitting on the floor across from him, grinding in an RPG for an hour and then fusing monsters until Junpei had the game’s theme drilling into his skull.)

“Am I twelve?”

“You still dress like it.” Aoi throws a pillow at him, proving Junpei’s point. “Seriously. Akane’s in good hands, you can leave her be.” He glances at the laptop and considers the potential hypocrisy of that statement, then dismisses it immediately. “Or do you just miss me?”

Aoi stands and shuts the laptop. “She’ll be fine, then. No point in staring at the walls while she’s gone.”

The problem is: what _do_ they do when they’re alone together? They stare at each other as if pondering that same question.

Junpei’s about to shrug and suggest they go get a beer when Aoi cracks his neck then his knuckles and jumps into a tactful conversation topic: “You worried Akane’s planning something?” He smiles like he’s hoping to needle Junpei. 

"Probably." Junpei smirks. "Nothing I don’t know already."

The idea that his sister isn’t gossiping with him like normal sets Aoi off. "Hey! When did it become you two against me?"

Junpei jumps over the table, using the momentum and surprise to take them both to the floor and pin Aoi. "It's my turn to get one over on you, don't you think?"

Aoi brings a knee up in an implied threat to his balls. Junpei gambles on that being a bluff. "I pay you! You owe me transparency here."

"Ask your sister," Junpei says before kissing him. He runs one hand through Aoi’s hair, wondering how he keeps it so soft with all the bleaching, before biting his bottom lip and pulling away.

"Don't bring up my sister, you goddamn perv," Aoi gripes, but that doesn’t stop him from reciprocating. Their makeout intensifies until Aoi’s thrown one leg over Junpei’s waist and they’re grinding, panting. They sit up and Aoi pulls Junpei’s shirt over his head and kisses his neck and chest.

Neither is patient enough to do more than put on some music from Junpei’s phone, grab a towel, lube each other up, and have Junpei sit on Aoi’s lap so he can jerk them both off. He loves the body heat and friction when they’re rubbing against each other, his hand wrapped around both of their dicks at once. When Aoi scratches his ribs and French kisses him, it’s sensory overload and Junpei groans into his mouth. Aoi clutches Junpei’s waist and struggles to thrust his hips so he can fuck Junpei’s hand. When Junpei whispers in his ear, “Like that?” and all he can do is nod and dig his nails into Junpei’s skin, Junpei’s body tightens up and he feels his orgasm coming on too fast to hold back. His come slides down his palm as he finishes Aoi off shortly after him.

He’s still catching his breath when Aoi slaps his shoulder. "Turn off the music." 

Even reaching for his phone seems like too much effort. Some calm digital instrumentals have come up on shuffle and Junpei’s glad they used his phone because he’s not into having sex to Aoi’s beloved _enka_. He pushes his face against Aoi’s neck and mumbles. The towel under them probably doesn’t appreciate his stalling. 

Aoi is skinny and uncomfortable to sit on and eventually Junpei gets up to shower, leaving his partner to complain about the mess on his stomach. Sex is great while it’s happening and completely alien once it’s over, with the hassle of cleanup and seeing someone else exposed but not aroused.

In the shower, Junpei thinks about the time difference between Japan and Iceland and wonders when he’ll next hear from Akane. 

She looked forward to this trip and asked for his opinion on everything she was thinking about doing outside of the conference. Once he realized she wasn’t bringing him like he assumed, it got annoying rather than fun.

He was making dinner while she sat on the counter, swinging her feet and watching him cut potatoes, when she said “Are you angry with me?”

He didn’t bother evading her question: “Just confused. Why Phi?”

“She’s fun.” Akane yawned. He remembered she hadn’t been drinking tea lately but was staying up later, and he promised he wouldn’t look at her research but she couldn’t forbid him from caring about her health. “We need her, and I’ll be fine. So will you.” She hopped off the counter and hugged his waist, and he lifted his arm to put it around her shoulders. “The world won’t end because I’m not here.”

“I think that’s the only time I’ve heard you admit that.” They stood silently, embracing until he kissed her forehead and resumed making dinner. 

Remembering that night, Junpei has a shower thought that feels brilliant in the moment: love doesn’t always mean telling each other everything, but instead knowing the other has secrets and trusting they’ll tell you in time.

By the time he’s drying off he has no clue what the fuck that means.

 

**

 

Dinner tonight is less intimate. “We’re kinda pathetic without her, aren’t we?” Aoi says as he pokes at delivery noodles. His will to cook goes out the window when it’s just him and Junpei. They still work but in slower, shorter stretches, and clean up the moment before they’re expecting company. 

Junpei is too tired to take the bait. He slurps noodles with the focus of an Olympian.

“Yo?”

Slurp. This is overcooked and too salty but it’s not his money so he won’t complain. When Aoi’s cat, Shiro, rubs herself against Junpei’s leg he doesn’t fall for her tricks. Every time he tries to pet her she bites him and tries to steal his food, and Junpei knows she’s evil because not even Akane is safe from her spite.

“Too embarrassed to admit I’m right?”

Junpei talks with his mouth full because he knows Aoi hates that. “You should get out more.” He flicks a wadded napkin across the table and Aoi flicks it back. “I think Shiro’s your best friend.”

Aoi makes soft “psst, psst” noises to bring Shiro over. He pets her and Junpei watches her turn into a purring, fluffy angel under Aoi’s touch. “Isn’t he stubborn, Shiro? What’s wrong with that?”

 

**

 

It takes two days for them to run out of fun ideas. Aoi may be right about them being pathetic and Shiro looks like a better conversational partner by the moment. When Aoi opens his mouth about work, Junpei hears a bunch of white noise.

As if trying to look as hopeless as possible, they lie on the floor and stare at the ceiling as they run through their options: 

"Izakaya?" Aoi says although he sounds bored just mentioning it.

"We did that Monday."

"Like you ever turn down a drink. Catch up with that drama?"

"Tuesday, and it's boring."

"If we play another game of Spades I'm throwing your deck out the window."

"No taste," Junpei says. "Well what does sound fun, Grandpa?"

An hour later in a karaoke box, Junpei regrets his choices and his benevolent, accommodating nature as Aoi sings some embarrassing enka song about how “love needs no words.”

Aoi has a nice voice and he looks so warm and calm when he's singing like it's the only time he's truly comfortable. He once told Junpei that when he was a kid he wanted to be a singer. Junpei likes that side of Aoi, the one that can admit he wants something that has nothing to do with work or the weight of the world. (Junpei likes it even though a moment later when he said he wanted to play soccer, Aoi told him he would've sucked at it.)

"No, no more enka," Junpei says, putting Aoi in a headlock and struggling to get to the player so he can finally choose a song. He picks an OLDCODEX song his mom loved when he was little. A verse in, Aoi’s booing and singing over him, and Junpei turns his mic up until they’re yelling a duet in each other’s faces and dancing. When they go over their allotted time, the attendant doesn’t find them as funny as they find themselves, especially when they start singing over him telling them they have to give up the room.

Aoi drives the final nail in when he stands on the couch and yells “Who doesn’t like Hole, you fucking buzzkill?!”

They get kicked out. Neither looks at each other on the train home because Junpei knows if they do they’ll burst out laughing. The second they're in the door Shiro meows indignantly at them, Aoi slurs "Don't lecture me," and Junpei covers his mouth with both hands and laughs hysterically.

Aoi spins in a circle, rasping “‘I’m all I wanna be, a walking study in demonology,’” and that ratchets up Junpei’s drunken hysteria until he has to lie down in the entryway, still wearing his jacket and shoes. 

Aoi kneels over him and leans down to whisper in his ear: “‘You want a part of me? Well I’m not sellin’ cheap.’”


	2. vertigo is gonna grow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello i am here, this expanded to three parts.
> 
> Emeto warning! And if "animals eating other animals" is distressing, the section starts at "Junpei wishes Aoi’s idea of entertainment was different." Aoi is singing "Malibu" by Hole and tamago gohan (tamago kake gohan) is raw egg in rice.

The dawn of the fifth day, Akane calls him at 8am his time. Junpei is on the floor where Aoi left him last night; Shiro is sitting on his back so he’s afraid she’ll dig in if he tries to get up. He’s lucky his phone was in his jacket pocket. He has to squint at the screen with one eye shut because his head hurts, but he can make out that she looks restless, nervous. Her bedtime braid is sloppy and her eyes are half-lidded and distant. “Aren’t you tired?” he asks with long-practiced concern. It’s 11pm in Iceland; Tokyo is nine hours ahead of Reykjavik.

“Yes, but I can’t sleep.”

“Are you alone?” 

“Phi’s here.” Oh, that’s a little better. Phi’s Japanese comprehension isn’t at the level she’d need to eavesdrop. “Why are you on the floor?”

“I couldn’t sleep either.”

She tilts her head and purses her lips knowingly. “Is that so?” It’s not a total lie; she won’t stop him but she has heavily encouraged that he cut back on drinking in the past year or so, and he doesn’t want to disappoint her.

“I’m not still drunk.”

“I believe it.” She lays back in the bed and holds her phone overhead so she looks like she’s collapsing into cloudlike pillows. “I’m worried about you. I don’t like the way we left things.”

“Left what? It was fine.” He hears stirring in the kitchen and smells coffee brewing, Aoi’s go-to hangover remedy. His voice hoarse, Aoi sings ‘I can’t be near you, the light just radiates.’ In a few minutes he’ll probably come out bearing tamago gohan, dried nori and furikake on Junpei’s bowl and an extra egg yolk in his own, nudge Shiro off of Junpei, and tell him to get off the floor and eat. “I’m fine here. Are you alright?”

“Yes. I’m actually having a really good time.” She smiles. “I see why you like working with Phi. She reminds me a lot of you.”

“Hey—I’m funnier.”

She giggles. “Yes, you are.”

He rubs his face against the floor. “Akane, really, go to bed. We’ll talk about whatever you want when you come home.” Because he trusts that she will always come home. He opens both eyes long enough to properly wink at her. “And you’ve still got my blessing for whatever happens before you come home.”

She rubs her eyes and gives an exaggerated cute yawn. “What are you talking about? Never mind, I’m tired, I’ll go to sleep now.”

“Goodnight. Be safe.”

“Try to relax, Junpei.” She rubs her eyes with her fist again. “Goodnight.”

Junpei doesn’t have a chance to dwell on the moment as Aoi arrives, nudges Shiro off his back, and says, “How long are you gonna lay like that? Get up and eat.”

“Well, I could’ve been in my own bed if someone cared enough.” Junpei lifts himself onto his elbows and looks up at Aoi. His hair is already washed and done for the day and he’s in his nicer casual clothes he rarely gets to wear. Aoi tried to take Junpei shopping once and threw his hands up after the third store and said if Junpei wanted to look like a slob he was welcome. Junpei took advantage of Aoi’s credit to treat himself to a high-end leather jacket and boots for work.

“Hey, I made you breakfast.” Aoi bends down and brushes some cat hair off Junpei’s back, then puts a hand around his upper arm to help him stand. “Let’s eat. I’ve got a job for you.”

**

“This is it?” Junpei looks at the pile of folders aghast. They’re thick accordion-style, held shut with straining rubber bands.

"You just volunteered to help me audit old Finance files." Aoi spreads them over the table. "I got wrapped up in planning Akane's trip and then reconciling surprise expenses from _your_ last one.” Junpei resents that; he is not the one who kicked down the hotel door. “Investigation wastes my money; Investigation will help me make more." Aoi stretches. "These are contracts and statements that are three years old or more. You're gonna make sure this pile has all the necessary information, cross-reference it with this pile, and note any discrepancies so we can check the originals. Then you shred all these copies. Easy."

"...Why isn't all of this online?"

"It is—I'm the only one allowed to access it though. I'll be working on my half from there." Aoi points to the legal pad by Junpei's hand. "You're gonna need a spare."

"I have my own work!"

Aoi picks up one folder and slaps it against the table once. "'Other duties as assigned,' Junpei. Remember who signs the checks."

"Yeah, well remember who sucks your dick," Junpei grumbles as he opens one folder and papers spill everywhere.

Aoi sits down at his laptop and makes exaggerated pleased sounds as he types.

Junpei didn't know how much busy work he signed up for when he came here. His old firm had an admin who proofread his briefs and did all this filing. (Junpei normally makes Phi do this when she's here, because she's the most junior member of his team.) Aoi has his assistant, and it sure as hell isn't Junpei. Junpei doesn't understand these documents, they're both boring and arcane. 

He makes an excuse to check the cameras. Phi and Akane are both awake despite it being midnight or better, and—he squints at the screen—drinking? Akane’s back is to him so he watches Phi and how she drops her glass suddenly, her shoulders shake with a laugh, and when she tries to get up she makes it a few steps and falls against the dresser. 

Akane picks her up and drags her to bed, and shakes her head as Phi rolls onto her side and seems to fall asleep curled up. What the hell? Akane doesn’t respond to his questions about if everything is alright. Instead she sits down in a bedside chair and dozes off.

He gets back up and goes to Aoi. “Phi’s fired.”

“Good luck going over Akane’s head.”

Junpei throws his hands up because that isn’t an inaccurate assumption. Plus if this were an RPG she would be Junpei’s elemental weakness. But what the hell does she want? This off the clock socializing seems like more than casual interest in Phi, although Junpei thinks maybe he should be fair as she blessed him and Aoi... 

He crosses his arms and leans against the table even though Aoi smacks his lower back because he’s infringing on his elbow room. “It’s time for a break.”

**

Junpei wishes Aoi’s idea of entertainment was different. On the TV, an Indigo snake is swallowing a poor rat snake whole, gulping it down bit by bit and one disappears inside the other like a lock and bolt. Junpei doesn’t know how they got to this part of the internet. _He_ wants to play more video games but after their fifth failure at performing surgery, Aoi said this was too stupid to continue with his partner and went to pick up Shiro and watch TV. Now Aoi is lying on his stomach in front of it and teasing Shiro with a feather wand toy. She darts back and forth trying to snatch it and when she finally catches it she curls around it, gnawing and kicking it with her back legs. If she weren’t Satan, Junpei would think this is adorable.

Well… He takes the risk and slowly stretches out his hand to pet her, and she lashes out with her front legs, latching on with her claws, and bites him. “Ow, damn it!” 

“You started it,” Aoi says, and pets Shiro from head to tail appreciatively. “Good kit.” Shiro rolls and latches on to his hand, bringing her legs up to playfight with it, and he swears and tries to extricate himself only to find she’s clinging to him harder than the snake clings to its prey on screen.

“Good kit,” Junpei says and pats her side, which makes her switch targets. After a brief struggle, Aoi rescues her from Junpei and growls to keep away from his cat. “You always take her side.”

“She’s my favorite.” Shiro purrs in agreement. “I always wanted a cat when I was a kid, but Dad didn’t like pets.” Aoi scratches Shiro’s head and considers her fondly in silence.

“I’m a dog person.” Junpei is still bitter D-Team took custody of Gab, but they took great care of him in his last days. Diana liked to take pictures of him in different bandanas in pastel colors, bone patterns, and cheesy phrases like ‘Ruff and Tumble.’ “I guess neither of us are snake people.” The video playlist has moved on to yet another snake eating video.

“What’s wrong with snakes?” Aoi still looks fascinated. “This is so cool.”

“The snakes would disagree.” Junpei tries to reach for Aoi’s phone which they’re streaming from, and Aoi slides it out of his grasp. “Although I guess there are other versions of them that are the predators, not the prey. Maybe we should say timelines ‘slither’ instead of ‘split.’”

Aoi groans and he feels victorious, even if he’s still subjected to snakes. He gets up to get some drinks and when he returns Aoi’s switched to clips from a variety show featuring one of their favorite actors. “Thanks,” he says when Junpei hands him a beer.

"Do you think we would've hung out like this if she weren't here?" The euphemism. Junpei hates saying ‘dead’ and ‘Akane’ in the same sentence. She’s just ‘not here.’

"...Why would I think about that?"

"True." Junpei shakes his head. "You probably hated me in those other timelines anyway."

"I _hated_ you? Please. I didn't know you. I didn't care enough to hate you.” Aoi stops patting Shiro and focuses on taking a long drink instead. “But who knows the answer? Does anything matter except for what's happening right now? Personally, I don't know those other guys. I'm glad I'm not them."

"When you put it that way..." Junpei swigs his beer. "Nope. Still gonna overthink it."

"Hopeless."

"Cynic."

"Pot, kettle." They toast in agreement. It doesn't end the banter; Shiro jumping up and running and knocking over their bottles does.

Before long they’re watching a nature documentary following a red fox on its quest for small mammals, shelter, and love. The little guy is so fluffy and orange that Junpei want to bury his hands in its fur. Now that they're back home maybe they should take a vacation to Zao Fox Village.

Aoi sits cross-legged, bracing his elbows on his knees and leaning toward the TV mounted on the wall. He drums his fingers against his thigh. He looks less relaxed than like he's forcing himself to try. His phone is still in his free hand, circling the screen with his thumb. The fox onscreen darts between trees, searching for food. "What's for dinner?" he says. 

Junpei looks at him sideways, eyebrows raised. "What are you cooking?"

"I cooked all day. Your turn."

Junpei feels like this is a trap. Aoi's got a wider palette than Akane, which Junpei's learned is more curse than blessing. According to Aoi, Junpei’s miso soup is always too salty, his meat is too tough, and his eggs are never fluffy enough. "Eugh, why don't we just go to 7-Eleven?"

Before they leave Junpei makes sure to check in with Akane, now awake at 7am her time, and then contacts Phi to speak as loudly as possible to aggravate her obvious hangover. He gives her her marching orders and she quips back at him that all will be fine. 

“It will be,” Junpei says like it’s a demand. Akane had her reasons for dragging Phi to Iceland, but damned if he understands them sometimes.

“Come on! I’m starving,” Aoi calls, and Junpei hangs up.

They'd be eaten alive in the wild, they'd be the world's worst foxes, Junpei thinks as he slips on his shoes to head out. At least Aoi would be a very fluffy fox, albeit a fastidious and short-lived one.

They walk in silence, as silent as public spaces ever get. Despite the movies, he found America could be weirdly quiet when he was lying in his bed in a box apartment and staring at the walls. When he closed his eyes visions of old and new blood swam and he couldn't find enough ambient noise to chase them away. Now, surrounded by chatter and following the movement of the post-cram school crowd, Junpei feels like he's soaking in a warm bath. “Did you like America?” he asks conversationally, and Aoi doesn’t respond. Looking over Junpei sees Aoi’s eyes are glazed and he’s staring at the sidewalk. “Something up?”

“No,” he says flatly.

They’ve never talked about it but they know what the other looks like when their head is swimming in the morphic fieldset. “Wanna go home and order—”

“No.” 

When they get to the store, Aoi stares at the selection of quick foods like he can't differentiate them, so Junpei grabs an assortment of their favorites and turns him around to the cash register. Aoi's on autopilot, so Junpei takes his wallet, pays cash, and thrusts the bags into Aoi’s hands. The silence on the walk home is no longer soothing.

They get home just in time for Aoi to puke his guts out in the bathroom. He made it into the door, removed his shoes, and then bolted for the bathroom. Occasionally he’ll cough and gag, and then another disgusting sloshing sound as the only thing he must be spitting up now is acid and bile. He doesn’t answer when Junpei knocks, or when Junpei says, “You lose the bet if you die.”

‘The bet’ is a joke he doesn’t remember how they came up with: some sort of nebulous challenge that they’ll live to old age in this universe without SHIFTing ever again. There’s no prize for winning other than more time together to needle each other and play card games and watch weird snake videos online.

Junpei jiggles the doorknob then says, “Dude, antacids are in the cabinet. Come out and get some water at least.” Shiro paws at the door and meows as if she agrees. 

Aoi’s reply is another retch and finally: “Leave me alone.”

“No dying.” He raps on the door with his knuckles again and then departs for the kitchen. He can’t say Aoi’s whet his appetite, so considering the sandwiches, onigiri, bento, yakisoba buns, and hot drinks, Junpei makes a face and abandons the food for now. (There’s also fried chicken, but Junpei carries on a lone, years-long protest against fried chicken that comes from anywhere but Lawson. He’s hungry but he has principles.)

By the time Aoi returns, Junpei has pushed through his disgust and hoards all the strawberry sandwiches while swatting Shiro away from the premium salmon onigiri. Much like his cat, Aoi is good at snatching food from Junpei; he grabs the onigiri and eats it standing up in small bites. He makes a face at one point, like it tastes sour, but he eats in pure silence until he sits down on the couch. Junpei wants to ask what the hell that was about, but he wants to finish his sandwich first. When Aoi lightly punches his shoulder, Junpei rolls his eyes and hands over the last strawberry sandwich. 

“These are good,” Aoi says.

“Taste better than puke?”

“Unbelievable.” 

Looking at Aoi, Junpei points to his own right eye. “You okay?” A burst blood vessel has bloomed into a bright red half moon below his iris. Just when Junpei thought strawberry sandwiches were safe to eat. 

Aoi touches the soft skin under his eye. “Amazing, Junpei.” It’s not like he’s had anything serious to drink—a beer when they were playing games earlier, another during that documentary. Junpei knows his limit. He learned it one night when while walking back to a safe house Aoi bent over a public trash can and puked. 

“Something on your mind—hey!” Junpei grunts and snatches at Shiro when she puts her front paws up on the table and grabs an egg sandwich with her teeth before running away with it to eat in her cat bed. When she steals food, she purrs while she eats. 

“Shiro,” Aoi says halfheartedly, but doesn’t get up to take her prize. He puts his elbow on his thigh and leans on his palm so it covers his forehead. “I’m just sick.” So, worried. Aoi pukes before international flights and when Argentina is doing poorly during the World Cup, not out of nowhere and for no reason (as if it’s unsightly to be sick even in the privacy of his own bathroom). (When asked what he did during the Nonary Game, Aoi admitted he kept peppermint lip balm in one of his many pockets and sniffed it when he wanted to vomit.)

“I’ll call her,” Junpei says, and stands up to do so. Every empty ring makes him want to retch, as his stomach sinks and he wonders if Aoi is right about what he won’t say. He feels himself choking when Akane answers:

“Yes?”

“Can you talk to your brother?” It’s a pointless question; the Kurashikis are never far from each other, even countries apart. Junpei walks back and forces the phone into Aoi’s hand, and Aoi walks into his bedroom to talk to her about whatever is really on his mind. 

Of course, out of pure concern, Junpei presses his ear to the door.

“...Just please be careful,” Aoi stresses. Akane must have said something that failed to calm him, because he goes, “I know it could be any history!” He softens and adds, “Let me be the big brother sometimes here.” He sighs. “I will. He’s fine.” He chuckles. “You first. I’ll see you soon.”

Aoi opens the door before Junpei can jump back and think up an excuse for why he was right there. Without a word, Aoi bumps him lightly on top of the head and then hands Junpei back his phone. “Let’s play a game.”

They sit next to each other on the couch and play the Vita RPG Aoi is fumbling through. Junpei points at the screen. “No, you don’t want him in your party, this dungeon is full of monsters with electric attacks and he’s weak to that.”

“But I like him.” Aoi refuses to cede his favorite party member and wastes an hour getting his ass kicked.

“Just spend more time with him after school and he’ll learn—”

“I know what I’m doing.”

Junpei puts an arm around Aoi’s shoulders and shakes him, putting his cheek to his to be obnoxious. “Of course you do.”

They lose the rest of the evening to the game and by the time they’re done their eyelids are drooping. “I’m passing out,” Aoi says and goes back to take a bedtime bath. Junpei steals extra time with the Vita to fuse useful monsters for Aoi’s save file before finally setting it down.

“Coming in,” he says, overlapping with Aoi’s ‘Excuse you’ and Junpei starts undressing while Aoi glares at him from the tub. His knees poke through the surface of the water and his legs are ridiculously pale. His collar bones stand out although his shoulders and upper arms have some definition. Junpei’s a detective; he can’t help but pay attention.

“I want a bath too,” Junpei says and shrugs before sitting down to wet his hair. When he’s done cleaning himself, he sits on the lip of the bath and Aoi slaps water at him. They splash back and forth for a bit until Aoi grabs Junpei’s forearm and threatens to shove him.

Junpei pushes at Aoi’s legs. “Move.” There’s enough room; Akane insisted on a remodel with a bigger tub so she and Junpei could soak together.

“Nope, I’m older. I’ll sit here as long as I want.” When Junpei puts a leg over and starts sinking in anyway, Aoi protests but in a moment they’re both in, Junpei’s legs dangling over the side. Aoi’s feet are jammed against his ribs. “You’re ridiculous.”

In response Junpei reaches out and strokes Aoi’s knee, brushing the outer edge of his thigh. He’s surprised when Aoi takes his hand and pulls it up to his mouth, putting his lips to his wrist—and then sinks his teeth in hard enough to be a warning and a tease simultaneously.

“Ow, dick!” Junpei says, but his further protests fade away when Aoi sucks on the spot gently, then takes Junpei’s index and middle fingers in his mouth and swirls his tongue over them.

Oh.


	3. a history of taking off my shirt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It Is Here. Thanks for following this to the end and check the tags for the sex acts. (I feel you on the gacha game pain, Jumpy.)
> 
> For D. <3

Water is still trickling down Junpei’s back when they’re standing in the bedroom and Aoi pulls him in for a kiss. To Junpei’s surprise, Aoi embraces him and Junpei stiffens briefly before remember Aoi is fine. Aoi is a Trusted Person who can hold him without attacking him. He shivers from the cool air and damp skin and Aoi licks his quivering pulse point. “You taste like soap.”

“I was just in the bath.”

“Some bath.”

“Right?” Junpei tilts his neck up and Aoi switches sides to bite the satisfying, non-soapy side.

The first time they fucked, it was because they bathed together too. 

And they’d almost died. It’s all-or-nothing with the Kurashikis. 

What was supposed to be a business negotiation turned out to be a trap and had Junpei not acted on his bad feeling and sent a security detail, himself included, Aoi at least would certainly be dead. When the tinnitus cleared up, Junpei could hear them both breathing hard and he gestured for someone else to call the fixer while they left.

“Are you okay?” Junpei asked him on the drive to the hotel, and Aoi pressed his cheek to the glass and drummed his fingers on the dashboard. Junpei didn’t know what to say to that; it never did get easier to ponder your own death.

At the safe house, Aoi followed him into the shower and pressed against Junpei’s back until Junpei was almost face first in the shower wall. He whispered something at the base of his neck.

“Huh?” Junpei said, too slow and too tired to process what was happening.

“Shut up,” Aoi said tiredly. “Do you wanna do this?” He mouthed Junpei’s shoulder and held his waist, unexpectedly tender with him.

“Do I?” The water spray was lukewarm and running down the side of his face, his shoulder, down to where Aoi was still holding him. Not if he was just lonely, Junpei thought, but then Aoi reached around to brush his stomach, right above his pubic bone, and Junpei nodded.

It didn’t feel amazing; it was only tight around the base of his dick and the condom they used was so thick he couldn’t feel anything else. They were pressed tightly together though and kissing and Aoi enjoyed himself, not just because he was desperate. “Will you hurry up and come already?” Aoi said after what both knew was an inordinate amount of time. “I’m sore.”

“ _You_ hurry up. I’m doing my best here.”

“Do I have to do everything?” Aoi teased, and kissed him deeply, one hand squeezing his neck until he was short of breath. He pushed Junpei away with the other hand on his hip, whispering to stop for a second. He pulled away a bit, shifting his hips so he was balanced on the pillow under him, and when Junpei pushed forward again he gasped. Okay, progress.

At least one of them got to come.

“Is that all?” Aoi said, and later on Akane would say the exact same thing when Junpei confessed.

**

Junpei would be embarrassed at the way he’s moving and making undignified noises, but Aoi’s found his prostate with the precision of a surgeon and he’s figured out how to do that and suck the head of his dick at once so Junpei’s willing to throw dignity out the window in order to come. His lower body is tingling and hot and he’s whimpering when Aoi fucks him harder. “I—huh—”

Aoi pulls off of and out of him and he sighs. “What?” He hates how needy that sounds. Aoi rubs his jaw as his only answer and Junpei grunts sympathetically. Oral is its own Olympics but Junpei wants Aoi to at least go for bronze. Instead he taps out and Junpei says, “You’re an awful lay.” 

Aoi gets up to wash his hand. “Now that’s just not true.” When he returns he crawls back on top of Junpei and Junpei pets his hair, soft as ever despite the constant bleaching. Dark roots peek out of his part Junpei would mention them but he wants to keep having sex tonight. “I’ll make it up to you,” he says and unexpectedly kisses Junpei’s forehead and then speaks the magic words: “You can finish on my face.”

“Hell yes.” Junpei closes his eyes when Aoi’s head dips toward him again and kisses him between the eyes, on his cheek, his ear, his jaw. “Stop stalling,” he teases, and Aoi kisses him on the mouth to shut him up. Aoi during sex is like Shiro in a good mood—cuddly and loving but be careful all the same. Junpei, in contrast, rolls him over and straddles his chest kneeling over him just so.

“Not in my eyes.”

“Do you think I’m trying to?” Junpei sighs and strokes himself instead of continuing to argue. He rests his free hand by Aoi’s head and stretches his thumb to stroke his cheek. “Just hold still.” He moans low in his throat as his hand picks up; Aoi squeezes his eyes shut but gently palms Junpei’s thigh, silently trusting him even when he turns his head away a little as fluid lands on his face. Above him Junpei’s shaking and breathing hard, toes curling. Still post-orgasmic, he hurries to grab a tissue bedside and gently wipes Aoi’s face and the other makes a noise of appreciation behind closed lips. He blinks rapidly and swipes at his eyes before looking up at Junpei. “You’re weird,” he says.

“Excuse me,” Junpei squeezes Aoi’s throat just so, “but you like this.”

Aoi grabs his wrist and digs his nails in to Junpei’s skin. “Hurry up and do me already.” 

After he’s come, Aoi’s much more agreeable and lays across Junpei’s torso as a comfortable weighted blanket while Junpei plays on his phone. He’s in a loose t-shirt and underwear in contrast to Junpei’s nudity and the friction of soft fabric on Junpei’s skin is pleasant. “I’m using your card for paid Moons,” he says and Aoi grumbles, stretching his arms out in front of him and inviting more Shiro comparisons. “What? I need this limited SSR.”

Aoi tries to take his phone and smirks when Junpei clutches it like gold. “All the money at your fingertips and you spend it on mobile games and ugly clothing.”

“And food for you.” Junpei pets Aoi’s head again and Aoi slaps his hand away. Another way he’s more like Shiro than he admits. The phone vibrates with a message from Akane and Junpei swipes to open it. When he groans at the contents, Aoi takes his phone.

“Why is my sister sending you dick pics?” Akane has an endless supply of photos from that dick museum she went to earlier and she’s been doling them out over her trip. This time it’s a collection of animal penises in glass jars. Why.

“Because you raised her to be this way.”

“You love it,” Aoi says and hands back his phone. “Don’t use my card, you’ve got your own.” 

Junpei uses Aoi’s card twice and never gets that SSR (“Why won’t he come home?” “What?”), but Aoi makes crepes at 2AM and they get in another hour of that RPG before crashing. Junpei wakes up to toothpaste breath in his face and Aoi is already put together and cleaned up nice. He sits cross-legged on the bed and raises an eyebrow at Junpei as if asking what he’s waiting for, there’s a whole day for the taking.

It’s a great sight.


End file.
